GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Sept 30, 2006 6:19:58 GMT -8
This is the first in a (planned) seriez of 8 puzzlez. In each puzzle there is a wicked Sudoku TM? puzzle, the solving of which (before starting the Grunt game) will be of enormous help. You see, within the Gruntz map (9 by 9 matrix) any Tile which is not a CheckPoint Switch  is a SecretTeleporterTrigger! The first Grunt that reachez such a Tile will be instantly teleported to a sub-puzzle (or an enemy Grunt will be teleported somewhere) ... and without the correct Tool will be unable to continue to do a task required of the team to get the Warpstone to the King's Fortress. Certain Toolz will alwayz exist in these puzzlez, and alwayz start out in the same location, so that the solver may use the Ctrl-# method to assign 1 through 9 to the Gruntz. Grunt numberz 4 and 9 will have varying Toolz, and one of the original 9 Gruntz will alwayz be (eventually) the Warpstone Grunt. | # | Tool | | 1 | SuicideBomber, various ... and Warpstone (at the end) | | 2 | Boomerang (or SpongeGun, or Spy Gear, etc.) | | 3 | BrickLayer (or Springz, or Spy Gear, etc.) | | 4 | Shovel, or Springz, or  | | 5 | Gauntletz | | 6 | Boxing Glovez (or Springz, or , etc.) | | 7 | GooberStraw | | 8 | Gravity Bootz | | 9 | Toob | | SpongeGun ... first newly-baked Grunt |
carriez this Tool (when in the Sudoku TM puzzle area). Usually carriez this Tool. There will alwayz be a Shovel Grunt ... most of the time!  There will alwayz be Toyz, so that the SuicideBomber may survive to the end of the solution. Most sub-puzzlez will involve obtaining a Toy and placing it somewhere that only the SuicideBomber Grunt can reach, satisfying his Checkpoint Switch , which will allow the rest of the team to take their proper placez within the 3X3 box which is a subset of the 9X9 Soduko puzzle. There are barrierz (raised CheckPoint Pyramidz) within the 9X9 grid, so it is necessary to solve a certain 3X3 grid before it will be possible to solve the next 3X3 grid. You will know which 3X3 grid to work on because one of the Checkpoint Switchez z will be either the destination of a Blue Teleporter (refreshed), or will be the destination of a Blue Teleporter which only one Red Warp sub-puzzle will contain. The proper Grunt goez through the Blue Teleporter and landz on the Checkpoint Switch , allowing the other Red Warp Gruntz to join him. The most difficult part of the solution (and the design!) is to get Gruntz within the (solved) 3X3 grid to the 3X3 grid next to be solved (they have to avoid stepping on any incorrect SecretTeleporterTriggerz ... or each other!). |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Oct 21, 2006 13:13:31 GMT -8
Do not be too hasty in returning through the Red Warp which openz up for one of your Gruntz, when two or more Gruntz are operating in an area as a 'team'. (Grunt #1 may return through Grunt #2's return wormhole, and vice-versa.) As a general rule, do not return through any Red Warp until you have determined for sure that there is nothing more that Grunt may do in an area ... or the Grunt is 'under fire'. But do return through the Red Warp before the CheckPointSwitchez have been satisfied in the next 3X3 block ... or you'll be sorry!
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 13, 2007 19:23:41 GMT -8
When there were no performancez of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" Monday through Wednesday, I went into the Gruntz Level Editor on this in-progress Custom Level. Imagine my surprise when I found that there was a Switch with nothing on which to operate! So I have a bit of 'de-bugging' to do on it, as well as complete the mini-puzzlez in it. But I hope to have it completed and ready for BETA testing in two weekz or less.
The most 'puzzling' part of the CL is to re-arrange the Gruntz to go through the Wormholez into the next area, and to determine which Grunt movez to an unnamed Tile first. Send a Gauntletz Grunt through a Red Warp that requirez Springz, and you earn a re-start/restore, for example.
I suggest that would-be solverz first solve the Sudoku puzzle before actually playing the CL. Take a screenshot of the Sudoku puzzle area, print it out, and solve the puzzle, so you know which Grunt to move onto an unnamed Tile first. That way, you send the Gruntz through the wormholez in the proper sequence ... once a Red Warp is triggered, that square is safe to step on for every other Grunt. It is possible to send as many as three Gruntz through one Wormhole into the next area, and still take their proper place via previously accessed Tilez that have had their Red Warpz activated. In most casez, even if the wrong Grunt is sent into the next square at a certain time, they may be set aside to allow the proper Grunt to make their way to their own Tile. So the solving timez may vary greatly, depending on how well the Gruntz are sent from one area to the next in the most efficient serquence. (Every 'unnamed' Tile within the Sudoku puzzle is a SecretTeleporterTrigger ... the Switch Tilez with a Tool Type on them are 'safe' Tilez for any Grunt.)
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Gaby
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Post by Gaby on May 13, 2007 19:47:29 GMT -8
it seems as if the difficulty will be very hard to frustrating... |
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BattlezM
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Post by BattlezM on May 13, 2007 22:26:15 GMT -8
I'm still willing to beta-test  , defiantly soundz like a stumper!  |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 14, 2007 11:09:21 GMT -8
it seems as if the difficulty will be very hard to frustrating... At the moment I would rate it at Hard to Very Hard ... but certainly not Frustrating. The mini-puzzlez themselvez are no more than Hard; determining the proper sequence for Gruntz is the only thing that would make it Very Hard. |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 14, 2007 11:10:45 GMT -8
I'm still willing to beta-test , defiantly soundz like a stumper! I very much have you in mind for the BETA tester ... since you have evidenced your own interest in Sudoku. |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 17, 2007 20:56:56 GMT -8
I am two thirdz of the way through the design of this CL ... fully tested so far. I expect to get another one ninth done by about 3:00PM tomorrow (it is 10:00PM as I am typing). I hope to have it ready for BETA testing before the month is over.
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 19, 2007 22:44:42 GMT -8
I finally managed to get the Warpstone to the King's Fortress today (by cheating ... creating two Gruntz to stand on two Switchez) and have filled in more information in the original post in this thread. At this time there are 147 Coinz, but I intend to add three more to create more of a 'round number'. There are also 94 Secretz, but I may add 6 more to create a 'round' 100. I may also add another Powerup, to create an even dozen ... probably in one of the few(!) areaz where there is a lot of digging to do. Yes, my Shovel Gruntz still carry 'magic Shovelz', but I have plainly marked the Holez/Moundz which must be dug up after being filled in ... or that just need to be dug up. Most of the Holez in this CL are obstaclez, and do not contain any prizez ... they match the terrain in which they are found. Holez/Moundz of special interest are in the 'wrong' background, so they stand out visually. Edit: BTW, I am compiling part of the HTML walkthrough (the Coinz/Toolz/Toyz/Powerupz/Megaphonez componentz) as I am working on the CL, so the "Thumbs Down" indicator regarding the existence of a walkthrough is not entirely correct. I have very little of the 'cookbook' solution done, but I have quite a bit of the "where to find..." thingz done. |
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BattlezM
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Post by BattlezM on May 20, 2007 12:46:58 GMT -8
This is certainly the record secret level!  Send it ASAP! |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 27, 2007 16:47:41 GMT -8
Well, I am going to have to complete the inventory of Coinz and Secretz in order to find the one Coin I have not been able to acquire, and the one Secret that I have not found. Apparently I must have duplicated one (or both) of those logicz, so that only one of them workz. Right now, that is the only thing that is preventing this one from passing through testing, and on to distribution.  |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 28, 2007 14:57:04 GMT -8
Well, at least I have found the 150 th Coin! A Giant Rock was supposed to contain a Rock within it, as I had a CoveredPowerup associated with that Tile containing a Coin. Without anything breakable/diggable there, it was impossible to acquire the Coin. Now I will begin the search for the elusive 100 th Secret, and once I find that, this CL will be ready for final BETA testing, and subsequent release. |
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Post by GruntzLevelDesigner on May 28, 2007 17:39:13 GMT -8
It's probably because I haven't finished any levels yet, but wouldn't it seem king of strange that you don't know where the coins and secrets are in a level you made?
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BattlezM
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Post by BattlezM on May 28, 2007 18:01:23 GMT -8
It getz confusing to keep track of so many thingz.  |
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Gaby
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Post by Gaby on May 28, 2007 18:14:12 GMT -8
that is the nature of designing a game, and that is the reason for testing (Alpha and Beta and most of the timez Gama too... ) before releasing ... |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on May 28, 2007 20:12:33 GMT -8
It's probably because I haven't finished any levels yet, but wouldn't it seem king of strange that you don't know where the coins and secrets are in a level you made? The Designer usually knows where those thingz were intended to be, but when there are so many of them, if there is an error in the logicz it is easy to lose track of just which one is missing.  That's why I do extensive ALPHA testing of my CLz, and when I come up with less than a " PERFECT!" score on my first complete test, I scan the entire map from the SAVE I made just before sending the Warpstone into the King's Fortress, looking for the missing itemz. When the problem is a missing CoveredPowerup (as in this problem), there is no breakable/diggable object to be found anywhere. So the only remedy is the inventory of objectz of the type that was missed. Out of 150 Coinz, I found the error in the 46 th defined Coin .. almost one third of the way through some 2,660 objectz in the CL! I hope I do better in locating the missing Secret, since there are 100 of those!!! |
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Post by GooRoo on Jun 8, 2007 7:53:05 GMT -8
The first 83 of 100 Secretz are now documented, and I have now found the problem! Today is a rather full day for me, for non-Gruntzy thingz, so I probably will do no more than another 10 Secretz. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is a day when I may spend most of the day working on the problem, so I may have all 100 Secretz documented. Hopefully, that will mean that I will have found the troublesome 100 th Secret that is not working as it should, and be ready for final BETA testing starting on Sunday. I really wanted this one to be distributed in time for my 65 th birthday (Tuesday), but that does not appear to be likely. Edit: I changed the count from ' 30' to ' 81' (of 100), and just have to take a break from the search and the updating of the Secretz inventory. In about 5 hourz, the Seattle Marinerz will resume their seriez against the San Diego Padrez, and I will be away from the CL for the duration of the baseball game ... so this break will only be for an hour or so. But I really need to do something else, such as read a bit of the book which I am about two thirdz of the way through. Edit: I changed the count from ' 81' to ' 83' (of 100), because #83 was the Secret that I have missed every time I tested the CL! Since that Secret did not involve any prize of any kind, I will be changing it to something beneficial. Of course, it needz to be moved from where it was originally, to some place else, and to do something important to the solution of the puzzle. That will mean adding another mini-puzzle, moving a prize (Coin, that is) from some other mini-puzzle with several Coinz into the added mini-puzzle. Since my wife informed me that we will be shopping in preparation for the square dance convention, the changez will have to wait until after tonight's Seattle Mariners/San Diego Padres baseball game is over. (I still have my priorities. ) |
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Post by SwordGrunt on Jun 8, 2007 19:05:04 GMT -8
The level seemz hard and complicated... are you sure you'll do seven more levelz like this one, GooRoo? |
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GooRoo
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Post by GooRoo on Jun 9, 2007 13:11:43 GMT -8
The level seemz hard and complicated... are you sure you'll do seven more levelz like this one, GooRoo? Yes, my plan is to do one in each graphicz set. But I also plan to learn from this experience, and keep track of thingz as I go along, instead of trying to do the documentation when the puzzlez are more than 90% complete. In this puzzle, the SuicideBomber Grunt (#1) is the "leading man" ... the one who ultimately getz the Warpstone and carriez it into the King's Fortress. Perhapz in Gruntziclez (graphicz set #2) I will make Boomerang the one who is 'protected' (and projected) around the map, and windz up acquiring the Warpstone. That would make Bricklayer the logical choice for graphicz set #3. |
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BattlezM
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Post by BattlezM on Jun 9, 2007 15:37:13 GMT -8
Perhapz I could help out by designing a SecretSudoku for Trouble in the Tropicz (its a graphicz set I haven't used in a while ). I think I'll have it include many secret switchez as well as warpz. Other designerz may want to help out too.  |
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View the map!
, defiantly soundz like a stumper! 
Send it ASAP! 
That's why I do extensive ALPHA testing of my CLz, and when I come up with less than a "PERFECT!" score on my first complete test, I scan the entire map from the SAVE I made just before sending the Warpstone into the King's Fortress, looking for the missing itemz. When the problem is a missing CoveredPowerup (as in this problem), there is no breakable/diggable object to be found anywhere. So the only remedy is the inventory of objectz of the type that was missed. Out of 150 Coinz, I found the error in the 46th defined Coin .. almost one third of the way through some 2,660 objectz in the CL! I hope I do better in locating the missing Secret, since there are 100 of those!!!
